METAL PULP AND PAPER: Hello everyone. Thank you for taking the time to speak with Metal Pulp And Paper. We appreciate it.

So how are you all so far, now that we are almost heading into the 2nd half of 2018?

DIAMOND HEAD: We are in good shape thank you. We are currently typing this while at 37,000 feet over the Atlantic headed to the US for 6 dates including Rocklahoma. The new album is close to being finished. Res has been mixing the album and it's sounding fantastic so far. Diamond Head are now managed by Thrashville and they are helping the band out in many areas. So far, we have a new American agent in AGI and new merchandise company plus Thrashville are pitching the album to record labels, which is all very exciting for us. There are many other things in the pipeline including a big European tour in October/November, so we can’t say we aren’t busy.

MPAP: Brian, you have had quite the music career that has spanned well over 4 decades. It all began when one day you, and, original Diamond Head drummer Duncan Scott, were together in your bedroom in 1976 planning out the course to your musical future? After all these years have gone by, can you still picture that bedroom and that biscuit tin drum kit that Duncan was banging around on while the blueprints to Diamond Head’s future began to take form?BRIAN TATLER: Of course. It was my bedroom since I was a child. Initially it had my train set, action men and model cars, but around the age of 15 I started getting much more interested in learning how to play my brothers spare guitar. The next logical step was try and write songs, but Duncan and I soon realized we needed a singer so asked around school for anyone who could sing. We would rehearse in the bedroom and try a few lineups with different bass players until eventually settling on Colin Kimberley in 1978. We never imagined it would go where it did, but we all dreamt of making records and playing live to an audience. And of course I had no idea the band would still be going 42 years later.

MPAP: What was the inspiration for that eventful day? What were your reasons to start a heavy metal band?

BRIAN: I never intended to start a Heavy Metal band. I just wanted to be able to play guitar like Richie Blackmore and that was a big inspiration for me to practice. The band sound developed gradually and once I’d learnt to play the guitar a little bit and Duncan had built his biscuit tin drum kit it just evolved from there. We began to think of a band name and how we could obtain a real kit and all the equipment a band needs to play live. Originally the music that inspired us would have been labeled heavy rock and inspired by classic 70s bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple. At the time the term Heavy Metal was not in common usage and was first used in my opinion in 1978 about JudasPriest. Its only later we got tagged with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.

MPAP: Most fans reading this will know who your band is, but for those few that might not, let’s get them all together on the same page. Diamond Head is an English heavy metal band that formed in 1976 in Stourbridge, England. Like you just mentioned your band is recognized as one of the leading members of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement and is acknowledged by thrash metal titans such as Metallica and Megadeth as being an important early influence in their own careers. You could fill many pages about the history of DiamondHead, but what more do you think needs to be said about your band that some might not know about?

BRIAN: All answers to the history of the band can be found in my autobiography Am I Evil? available from our website www.diamondheadofficial.com. What’s more to say is that the last couple of years we’ve had a positive resurgence. The current lineup consists of myself, Karl Wilcox on drums, Abbs on 2nd guitar, Ras our new vocalist, and Dean Ashton on bass. It’s the strongest lineup the band has had since the early days and it's being recognized wherever we play. We released a new album in 2016. The first in 10 years and it received some of the best press of my career which gave me the fire and confidence to continue writing and started recording another album last year. The album is almost ready and it's very exciting time for the band.

MPAP: Once you, and Duncan, added Sean Harris on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, and Colin Kimberly on bass to the fold, Diamond Head would end up playing their very first gig in February 1977. Along with your bedroom and that biscuit drum set, how well do you remember that very first show?

BRIAN: It was very nerve wracking and exciting at the same time. It was a different bass player called Jim Sutton in the band then. I can remember it was at our old school hall and we charged 25p per ticket and sold 181 tickets. After that it was all downhill! We played all original songs and it was my first taste of the limelight. MPAP: Are there any wild stories that you can share with us that might not have made it into your 2009 autobiography book, Am I Evil?, about any part of that night in 1977?

BRIAN: There is nothing I have omitted from the book. It was not really a wild night. The PA arrived very late and there was no time for a sound check although I didn’t really know what that was anyway at the time. My older brother Dave came along and was very impressed. Colin Kimberley joined in 1978. His first gig was recorded onto cassette and we excitedly listened to it back at my mom and dad’s house whilst my brother prepared a slap-up meal of bacon and eggs. That’s about as wild as we got.

MPAP: Three years later, in 1980, you would end up releasing your debut album titled Lightning To The Nations. Tell us about that time for a moment? Did you feel you were on top of the world yet?

BRIAN: I’ve never felt like I was on top of the world. It was very exciting to be in a 24-track studio recording an album and it was all recorded and mixed in 7 days. I think we all just hoped people would like it. I never expected it to sell huge quantities nor become a classic NWOBHM album that would have the influential impact that it did. Who knew 4 of the 7 songs would eventually be covered by the biggest metal band of all time?!

MPAP: Because of this new popularity, you would gain a slot on the Reading festival bill in 1982, after Manowar canceled at the last minute. The following year you were opening the 1983 Monsters Of Rock festival in Donington, but soon after that, the band would come to an end in 1985. Now did you feel you were no longer on top of the world anymore? Did drugs or alcohol become a part of your life during those troubling times?

BRIAN: No drugs and alcohol were never a big part of my life. It’s an assumption that everyone in the rock’n’roll business drinks to excess and does drugs as a lifestyle, but it’s not always the case. It ended at that time because of amateur management and when our third album Canterbury failed to sell more than its predecessor then the writing was on the wall. Playing those to massive festivals were some of the biggest gigs I’ve played, and I will always have good memories from them.

MPAP: Eventually, you and Sean would get back together in 1990, but it wasn’t until 2002 that Diamond Head would finally play their first US show at the Metal Meltdown IV Festival in New Jersey. I’m sure you’ve been asked this before, but why did it take so long for you to play on US soil? What was stopping you all those previous years?

BRIAN: When Diamond Head reformed in 1990 we started writing what would become the album Death & Progress, but we failed to secure a major deal and signed with an indie label instead subsequently the band ceased again in 1994. In 2002 we were offered the opportunity to play aforementioned festival and as we had never been to the US we reformed Diamond Head to make the best of this opportunity. It was a lot of fun to finally play on US soil.MPAP: Moving along with your career, let’s stop for a moment in 2005. In this year you would release your 5th album, called All Will Be Revealed. To help promote it, you would go out on tour and open for your good friends Megadeth. You would end up making a comment that this was one of the best experiences of your life and it regained your enjoyment of playing live with the band again. Reading that, it’s almost like you were born again. Not in a religious way, but just with music in general? What was it on that tour that made you feel this way?BRIAN: What’s not to like? It was a 22-date sold out European tour with Megadeth who made us very welcome, looked after us and made sure everything went as smoothly as possible. It was the longest support tour I had ever done, and I really got into the swing of travelling from country to country in a tour bus. Every night the crowd appreciated the band and the music which was very uplifting and give the band momentum to move forward and continue making music.

MPAP: In Led Zeppelin’s 1975 song called “Kashmir”, at one-point, Robert Plant sings, “All will be revealed”. By any chance, was this an influence on you naming your album after those four words?

BRIAN: It was at the back of my mind, but it’s also the title of one of the songs. At the time I’d had run-ins with Sean Harris and it seemed appropriate that one day, "All Will Be Revealed" when I tell my side of the story.

MPAP: Now let’s fast forward to the year 2016. Diamond Head would release their self-titled album on Dissonance Records, and this would also be the first album to feature Rasmus Bom Andersen as the new lead vocalist after Nick Tart parted ways in 2014. Not putting down Sean Harris or Nick Tart in any way, but what has Rasmus brought to the table that you might have been missing out on all these years later? What does everyone have to say about him so far?

DIAMOND HEAD: To start his vocal ability is off the scale. He’s educated in vocal training and literally has a degree in this, which makes him an unstoppable force of nature. On top of that he’s also very tech and does all the studio stuff, brings cameras everywhere, does the social media and the new website. He’s a pleasure to write with and I’ve missed having a creative partner of his caliber. The last release and the new album have both benefited from his excellent orchestral arrangements on some of the songs that add another dimension to the Diamond Head sound which we have not had before.

MPAP: Also, it was described that the self-titled release was also one of the best Diamond Head albums ever since Lightning To The Nations, with most giving it 5 out of 5 stars. With all that you’ve gone through, was this maybe the breakthrough moment part two that was needed as a musician and as a band?

DIAMOND HEAD: The self-titled 2016 album definitely put us back on the radar and brought in a lot of new fans whilst continuing the Diamond Head legacy. It was definitely a huge kickstart to something on the horizon with a revitalized band ready to strike again. We’ve had a lot of new opportunities, played a lot of new festivals and territories we haven’t done before and reaching more fans worldwide. It’s all been very positive and exciting, and we also can’t wait to release this next record as we are confident that it will be equal if not better than the last album.

MPAP: Tell us what do the current band members bring to the Diamond Head table? DIAMOND HEAD: Karl is our powerhouse drummer and is a big part of Diamond Head. He tour manages, drives the van, books gigs/hotels/ferries/flights etc and has kept the band on the road for many years now. Abbs is one of the nicest guys you could ever wish to meet and often calms the waters when things get a little rough. He is a huge support on guitar for our sound and always super helpful. Dean is the new kid in the band. He’s multitalented and can play all the instruments in the band including singing. His driving playing style and tone has made a big change to how the band plays and sounds. He’s been a great asset in taking care of our social media as well and edits tour diaries and video for online release and promotion.

MPAP: How did you all discover Diamond Head, were they part of your music influences? RAS ANDERSEN: I got a phone call from Brian to do an audition when Nick had left the band and the tour needed a singer. A friend of mine knew Ed, the bass player at that time, who said they should call me and see if I was interested. I, unfortunately like many others, missed discovering Diamond Head, but obviously knew of Metallica. They weren’t an influence on me personally as a singer nor musician, but I think this might have been a benefit when it came to write the new material as I could do some in depth research of the music and find out what really made Diamond Head tick. I quickly understood the importance of the music and band and the influence they had had on some of the biggest bands in metal bands in the world. It’s obviously a big responsibility and honor and I just try to do the legacy justice. DEAN ASHTON: I’d heard of Diamond Head from reading Metallica interviews in Kerrang! and Raw magazines. Metallica were one of my favorite bands when I was a kid and it was cool that they’d talk about this band from Stourbridge, as that town was only 20 minutes down the road. I’d watch them playing Diamond Head songs on videos like Live, Shit, Binge & Purge and Cliff ‘em All, but only heard the proper versions when I heard about the bass audition. My friend from college hit me up asking if I’d be interested in auditioning and within 2 weeks I’d got the gig. I got chance to see them live before I joined when they were supporting Europe but got there too late and missed their set!

ABBZ: Diamond Head were a massive influence on myself as I was growing up discovering new bands. I was a loyal Sounds magazine reader and in turn hung on every word Geoff Barton said, when he let the world in on a Midlands band with great riffs and a great singer, I couldn’t resist. I even saw DH support Foreigner and didn’t bother sticking around for the headliners lol. My first ‘good’ guitar was a Gibson flying ‘V’ which is down to 2 people, Mr Schenker and Mr Tatler.

MPAP: All good things must come to an end, but before you go, I would like you to write the first thing you think of on these following topics:

BRIAN: Hot meal preferably 2-3 hrs before the show/Warming up. ABBZ: Making sure everything is working including my fingers. RAZ: Warming up the voice and stretches/Setting up in ear monitors and testing monitors. KARL: Warm up on the practice pad/Taking care of business.

Writing a studio album then, writing a studio album now? BRIAN: Using a cassette for my demoes/Currently upgraded to Pro tools LE.ABBZ: Practicing new guitar parts until I can’t forget them/ These days I just record onto my DAW. RAZ: Writing all lyrics and string arrangements/Adding guitar parts and arrangement ideas and producing the album.KARL: Practicing to a click and working on drum parts/Setting all tempo changes for the songs.

Fans then, fans now?

DIAMOND HEAD: They come in all shapes, sizes and age.

MPAP:On behalf of myself and Metal Pulp And Paper, I’d like to thank you all for being a part of this interview.

DIAMOND HEAD: We thank you all for being there for us on this journey. We hope you all will love the new album as much as we do, and we can’t wait to play the new songs to you live.

MPAP: We look forward to what Diamond Head does to finish out 2018 and beyond. And be sure to check them out on these select US dates and also at see them at the Rocklahoma festival.